Can-extractor



A. R. THOMPSON.

CAN EXTRACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED on. 13. 1920.

1,397,990. Patented Nov. 22, 1921.

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WITNESS 11v VENTOR v j/latyl BY A TTORNE YS A. R. THOMPSON.

CAN EXTRACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 13, I920. 1,397,990, Patented Nov. 22,1921.

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PATENT OFFICE.

mm! 3. rnonsox, or an; JOSE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOB 'ro mmon-nm. 6mm no. 00., or am JOSE, cann omwu, a coarom'non or cmom- To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT R. THOMPSON,

a citizen of the United States, residing at San Jose, in the county of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented certain new and useful 1m ,rovements in Can-Extractors, of which t e following is a specification,

My invention relates to devices for discharging cans and other containers from the receptacles or vessels through which they are advanced and in which they are treated.

My invention is particularly applicable to machines or apparatus known in the canning art as cookers, and especially to that type of cooker, now well known, and which comprises a rotating reel havin .a peripheral series of spaced rails para el with its axis, and forming in association with an exterior helically directed fixed rail, a helical can-path through which, by the rotation of the reel, the cans are advanced.

At the end of the can-path or at any in termediate point at which a discharge is provided for, the cans successively pass from the reel rails, and in some cases roll out b gravity or are switched or pushed out. lira cooker of this type, the cans lie in the can-path with their axes parallel to the reel axis, so that if they are to roll out the end of the cooker by gravity, they must be first turned at right angles to their traveling position, to enable them to roll. This invo ves undesirable complication, and the operation is not sufiiciently certain. Furthermore, in many cookers, especially in those in which the heating medium is a body of water, the discharge must be in the top of the tank or box. This precludes the gravity discharge; and some form of delivery'must, therefore, be adopted which involves lifting the cans bodily from the reel-rails to and through the discharge aperture.

My present invention has this in view, and its object is to positively and accurately extract the cans in timely succession from the terminus of the can path without having to alter their traveling position; to pos1-' tively lift them through the. discharge aperture in the top of the box; and to deliver them to a gravity discharge.

To this end my invention consists in the novel can-extractor which I shall now fully Specification of Letters Patent.

CAN-EXTBACTOE drawings, in whi Figure 1 is an end view, broken, of my can-extractor, showing it applied to a cooker, the latter being shown in fragmentary cross section. I

Fig. 215 a vertical sectional view of the can-extractor, showing its position upon the end of the cooker.

I have not deemed it necessar for a full disclosure of my invention, to i lustrate the cooker, except in a fragmenta manner, as its essential parts are now well nown in the art. Within the box or tank of the cooker, a portion of the wall of which is shown at 1 in F 1g. 2, is a rotatable reel 2 having around its circumference a series of spaced angle-rails 3 parallel with its axis and forming in connection with a helicallydirected fixed rail 4 supported by longitudinal stringer rails, shown at 4', a helical canpath through which, by the rotation of the reel, the cans are advanced throu h the box.

As shown in Fig. 2, the reel rai s 3 extend beyond the helical fixed rail 4, at the end of the can path. To the end of the stringer rail 4', at the final coils of said helical rail is bolted a bracket 5, carrying at its top a box 6 in which is fixed a shaft 7, u on which is rotatably mounted a sleeve 7. he other end of the shaft is supported by a bearing 1' rising from the tank 1.

Upon the sleeve 7 is fixed a driver disk 8, the periphery of which is notched at 9, to engage, gear-wise, the rails 3 of the reel 2.

, Pa tente d;Nov.-22, 192i. 1 Application filed bctober 1a, 1920. Serial Io. 410,733. l

describe by reference to the accompanying It will now be seen that as the reel 2 rotates,

driven by the power mechanism, not shown,

of the cooker,.its rails 3 engaging the notches 12, spaced from and of greater diameter than the turret disk so that it extends farther down, as shown in Fig. 2, and said disk 12 is also rotated by the sleeve 7.

Supported upon fixed brackets 13, Fig. 1,

is a curved can-stripper 14. This stripper lies beyond the end of the reel 2, as shown in Fig. 2, and radually rising approaches the summit of tie can-path, at which point it is slightly higher than the floor of said path, that is to say, it is above the carrylng flange of the rails 3. Thence it follows the path of rotation of the turret disk and -cramping disk, outside of and concentric therewith to about their horizontal diameter, as seen in Fig. 1. I

15 indicates an inclined gravity discharge can-guide. It is supported suitabl by means not shown, from the cooker. ts receiving end 15 lies between the upper portions of the disks 8 and 10, and rises slightly above the base of the prongs of the turret disk. Y

The cans are indicated by 16.

The operation of the can-extractor is as follows :-The cans 16, .induced by the association of the rotating reel 2 and the fixed helical rail 4;, successively reach the sphere of action of the extractor, said cans advancing with their axes parallel with the rails 3.

A given can reaching the end of a reelrail 3, as said rail approaches the summit of reel rotation is projected, in part, beyond said rail, its projected end passing to and resting upon the stripper 14'. and close to the inner surface of the cramping disk 12. The can thus rests in part on the reel-rail '3 and in part on the stripper 14, and as said can reaches the summit of its can-path travel, its projecting end, moving on the rising stripper is slightly elevated as seen in Fig. 2. This elevation of the can end, causes the can to tilt on the rail 3 as a fulcrum, with the result that its rear upper edge contacts with the driver disk 8, and its front lower edge contacts with the disk 12, and the can is thus cramped between and against the two disks. While so cramped it is immediately engaged by a prong of the turret-disk 10, and then by the uniform r0- tation of all three disks, and lightly guarded by the stripper 14, the can is picked up bodily from the reel rail 3 and is carried up, By the time it reaches the extremity of the stripper it is sufiiciently cramped between the disks 8 and 12, on a slightly altered axis,

by the turret prong and rests securely in the turret disk, until it meets the receiving end 15 of the delivery guide 15. By the slight elevation of this end, the can is evened between the disks 8 and 12 and now being free from cramping it will, as it passes over center, easily roll out by gravity upon the delivery guide, down which! it rolls to its destination, all as shown in Fig. 2. Thus the cans are automatically and positively picked up bodily from the can path, without having to change their position therein, are

elevated through the top of the cooker, a

necessity in cookers employing water as a heating medium, and are rolled away from an elevated position by gravity.

I claim 1.- A can-extractor com rising a pair of rotatable, parallel, space disks associated with the path of travel of all can; a fixed member lying beyond and rising above said can path, adapted to receive the forward end of the can projected from the path and tilt said can to cramp it between and against the spaced disks; and a rotatable turret disk to engage the cramped can and lift it in conjunction with the pair of disks, from the can path and elevate it to its discharge.

2. A can-extractor comprising a pair of rotatable, parallel, spaced disks associated with the path of travel of a can; a fixed member beyond and rising disks to its terminus in approximately the horizontal diametrical plane of said disks,

said member being adapted to receive the forward end of the can projected from the can path and to tilt said can to cramp it between and against the spaced disks; a rotatable turret disk to engage the cramped can and lift it, in conjunction with the pair of disks, from the can path and carry it beyond the terminus ofthe fixed member; and a gravity discharge guide, the receiving end of which lies between the disks in position to relieve the can of its cramped condition to enable it to roll out from the disks by gravity.

3. In combination with a rotatable member of a can-treating device, having a peripheral series of rails comprised in a can-path in said device; a rotatable sleeve carried by said device; a driver disk fixed on said sleeve forrotating it, the periphery of said disk engaging the rails of the canpath member whereb said disk is rotated; acramping disk fixed on said sleeve and rotated thereby, said cramping disk lying arallel with and spaced from the driver isk,

and beyond the can-path rails; a fixed curved stripper-member beyond said can-path rails, upon which the forward end of the can is projected, said stripper-member rising above said path and adapted to tilt the can and cramp it between and against the driver disk and cramping disk; and a turret disk fixed on said sleeve and rotated thereby, said turret disk engaging the cramped can to lift it, in conjunction with the driver and cramping disks, from the can path rails and elevate it toits discharge.

4. In combination with a rotatable member of a can-treating device, having a peripheral series of rails comprised in a can-path in said device; a rotatable sleeve carried by said device; a driver disk fixed on said sleeve for rotating it, the periphery of said disk en aging the rails of the cana cramping disk fixed on said sleeve and rotated thereby, said cramping disk lying parallel with and spaced from the driver disk and beyond the can-path rails; a fixed curved stripper member beyond said canpath rails, upon which the forward end of the can is projected, said stripper-member rising above the can-path and continuing concentric with said cramping disk and terminating in approximately the horizontal diametrical plane thereof, said stripper member being adapted to tilt the can and cramp it between and against the driver disk and the cramping disk; a turret disk fixed ret disk engaging the cramped can to lift it,'

in conjunction with the driver and cramping disks from the can-path rails, and to elevate it beyond the terminus of the stripper member; and a gravity discharge guide, the receiving end of which lies between the disks in position to relieve the can of its cramped condition to enable it to roll out from the disks by gravity.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

.ALBERT R. THOMPSON. 

